Jon Bernthal Initially Refused to Return as Punisher For ‘Daredevil: Born Again’
Perhaps the most consequential choice that Marvel has made in recent years has been the studio’s decision to overhaul Daredevil: Born Again halfway through the show’s production.
When Daredevil: Born Again was originally announced in 2022, the prevailing notion was that Marvel wanted to divorce the new series from the original Netflix Marvel show. Despite Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio reprising their respective roles as Daredevil and Kingpin, it looked like we were in for a completely different version of Daredevil.
Image: Marvel
Born Again was to be a lighter legal drama than the dark and gritty Netflix Daredevil series.
Jon Bernthal Originally Refused to Return
In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Jon Bernthal revealed that he refused to reprise his role as Frank Castle/Punisher in this new, lighthearted Daredevil.
Photo: Netflix
“It was like, let’s see if this works. Let’s see if there’s a real openness and a hunger to let Frank be what Frank is, which is dark enough to have the courage and the boldness to turn your back on the audience and to make it difficult, to make it enormously psychologically complex and to steer away from any cuteness or humor and to really go full bore,” Bernthal explained.
Source: Marvel Studios
“Ultimately, I didn’t see it. I didn’t see the version of Frank, and what they wanted from Frank [didn’t] really make sense to me, and I thought it would not appeal to the fans and wouldn’t be congruent. It was not something I was really interested in doing.”
Staying True to the Character
According to the actor, he wanted to ensure that any future portrayal of Punisher was true to the character and something that fans would relate to.
Photo: Richard Shotwell/BEI/REX/Shutterstock
“Sometimes you have to be very, very clear with your intentions in this business,” he explained. “You can’t get confused with how much you love something, how much you love playing something, how much you want to do something. And you got to make sure you’re serving it. You got to make sure you’re doing justice to the people that believe in it and doing justice to the iterations that have come before you.”
Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio Also Had Reservations
Interestingly, Bernthal’s comments echo those previously made by Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio, who also admitted that they were not sold on Marvel’s new version of Daredevil.
Source: Marvel Studios
“Vincent and I were both not 100 percent convinced what we were doing at the time was the right path, but we’re both good soldiers and professionals, and we were trying to be open-minded,” Cox recalled.
Marvel Changed Course and Bernthal Agreed to Return
Luckily, during the 2023 Hollywood strikes, Marvel president Kevin Feige reviewed the completed episodes of Daredevil: Born Again and agreed that the series was not working.
Image: Marvel
Eventually, the decision was made to tie Born Again into the original Daredevil series and lean into the franchise’s gritty tone and penchant for violence. After this 180 by Marvel, Bernthal re-entered the fold.
Image: Marvel
“They really brought me into the conversation,” Bernthal said of the revamped production. “We really got specific about where Frank is psychologically, where Frank’s at physically.”
Punsiher’s Story Will Continue
Eventually, Bernthal and Marvel laid out a plan for Punisher that will see the character return for Daredevil: Born Again and include a Punisher special set to debut next year.
Photo: Marvel
“I care very deeply about Frank, I’m really grateful that I’m getting the opportunity to tell the story that I think the fans deserve,” Bernthal said of the upcoming special. “We’re giving it our all and we’re trying to tell a Frank Castle story that we’re going to turn our back on the audience — it’s not going to be easy, it’s not going to be light.”
Daredevil: Born Again is streaming now on Disney+.
